Born to Die
by TeeBeMe
Summary: "What are you going to do? Play your magic flute and sing me to death?" He sneered at me. Right then and there is where I decided that nothing would stop me from breaking my foot off in that pompous jerk's derrière. Not even if he was freakishly cute. Yeah. AU. GaaraOC NaruHina
1. Once upon a time

_TeeBeMe: So this is sorta based on We Are Young. But very, very, very loosely. _

**Xin: Ooh, an adventure story. Let's see how this goes. **

_TeeBeMe: Yeah, well, my inspiration is slowly starting to come back and this has been rattling around in my head. It's kind of like a ragnarok thing. I used to play that a lot when I was in middle school. My character was a dancer. So yeah. Hopefully this goes pretty damn well. _

**Xin: You guys know the drill. She does not own anything except for the OCs and the plotline. That's it.**

* * *

_A bard._

_A gypsy._

_A dancer._

As a child, it was quite obvious what I would be classified as. I was a free spirit, they said. I wandered about and only listened when music played. In the eyes of my prestigious family who were known as alchemists, guardians, and paladins, I was an eyesore. The dancer.

And I was embarrassed too. At first. I mean, I could understand where they were all coming from. How in the hell was I supposed to fight? With music? I loved music but honestly…what the hell would that do against a snarling monster out to eat my fuckin' eyeballs?

Nothing.

So, I tried to change my class. First, I tried alchemy, like my older cousin. I failed on my first attempt. I could not, for the life of me, get alchemy down. It was chemistry, science. I hated stuff like that. I didn't have time to mix things to create other things.

I tried white magic, being a paladin. That did not last long. Apparently, you had to be quite pure to be a paladin and give your entire life up to follow God's laws. I was rejected almost instantly. I found it funny. My two Aunts, who were paladins, did not.

Moving on. A guardian. This was my twin sister's calling. I was actually surprised when it was revealed that she would be a guardian. A guardian protects people or one person. It was basically a paladin, just less….holy.

I did okay as a guardian, I wasn't as good as my sister. But being a guardian was her _calling_. I felt like the clothes a guardian had to wear were too much, they had too many rules, they were too pure for me. It was constricting. I couldn't be a guardian.

Needless to say, my parents were not pleased when I told them I would continue being a dancer. But they had to accept it. Trying to force myself into another class only resulted in failure. And we couldn't have a failure running around in the Hyuga clan. That was unacceptable.

But, still, a dancer was quite weak. I could do neat things with my flute, such as lowering the strength of an enemy or lulling them to sleep. That was neat and everything but it didn't get my blood pumping like I wanted it to.

It wasn't until we were ten when our Uncle taught us the element affinity. Of course, I just had to be different had an affinity for wind while everyone else had water or ice. I would forever be an outsider to my family. I'm quite sure they're used to it by now. Hell, I sure am.

Manipulating the air around my fists, it would advance my strength. I wouldn't say I'm a brawler but I was nearly an expert in close hand to hand combat. But I only resorted to close hand to hand combat when my music tricks failed. And even if I was an outsider among my family, the black sheep, I didn't care. I was fine with who I was.

I liked my life.

* * *

"Is she asleep?"

"Well, yes, I played the lullaby to put her asleep."

"Do you really think we should be doing this?"

"We've run out of food."

"But we're not thieves. This isn't right."

"Oh, shut up. That's the guardian in you talking."

"You truly are impure."

"I'm a dancer. We don't care about being pure."

Two females stood in the room of a small inn, standing over the figure of a slumbering woman. The woman was small but incredibly busty with long blond pigtails and a purple rhombus in the middle of her forehead. She was quite pretty.

The two females standing over the slumbering woman were twins and couldn't be any older than fifteen. They shared long midnight blue hair and bright lavender eyes. They were dressed quite differently, the one on the right wearing lavender and white while the one of the left wore black and purple.

The dancer was standing with her hands on her hips while her sister's arms were folded across her chest. "This is stealing," the guardian frowned, reaching out to grab her sister's arm. "What would our parents think if they knew we were stealing from a random woman?"

"They shouldn't have sent us on that long ass journey," the dancer huffed, shaking the other off of her. "We won't take all of it, okay? We'll just take enough to buy us some food. We've still got two days left to travel. We need food," the dancer stepped forward, reaching down to rifle through the woman's pockets.

Just as she felt a pouch, the door swung open. The guardian reacted first, whipping around to see two people standing in the doorway, a woman and a man. The dancer jumped up in panic, gritting her teeth in agitation. "What's going on here…" the woman asked first, stepping into the room. "I think it's quite obvious what these two are doing, Shizune," the man piped up from behind the woman, known as Shizune.

"Goddammit…." The dancer mumbled. Her eyes searched the room before landing on the window. Snatching her sister's wrist up, she smiled weakly at the other two. "Um….we gotta go!" She exclaimed before yanking her sister into the direction of the window.

Just as they were about to dive through the open window, a light blue shield formed in front of it. The two girls slammed into the shield before crumpling to the floor. The scantily clad one groaned loudly and sat up first.

"Oh goddammit…."

* * *

The two teenagers found themselves bound and sitting in the middle of the inn's room. The blond had just woken up, courtesy of the male throwing a pale of water on her face. "Will someone explain to me why Kakashi just threw water on my face? And who the hell are these two?" She motioned widely to the twins sitting on the floor.

Shizune sighed heavily as she looked back and forth between the twins and the blond woman. "It's strange that you two were able to get so close to Tsunade-Sama while she slept. She's usually light sleeper if she hasn't had any sake. You haven't had any sake tonight, have you?" She directed her question to Tsunade.

The busty woman huffed in annoyance. "No, you wouldn't let me have any," Tsunade reminded Shizune with a scowl. "Then how were they able to get so close to you?" Shizune frowned, ignoring Tsunade's scowl.

"I'm a dancer," one of the twins spoke up suddenly. Her face was blank and her voice was void of any emotion. "I played a lullaby and lulled her to sleep," She explained, her face never changing. If her parents got wind of this….she'd never hear the end of it.

Tsunade glared down at the thieving dancer. "Well…you can never trust dancers. They're as bad as thieves…" She mumbled blandly. "Oi! Don't compare me to a thief! They steal for the fun of it! I was going to steal because I had to!" the girl snapped in annoyance, her face burning red.

"You had to? Why?" Shizune asked. "We ran out of food days ago. We still have two days to get back to our parents. I had to get some food for my sister. Stealing is the easiest way to do that. I didn't want to do it. I was just willing to do it."

"Who are your parents?"

"Hyuga Manami and Hiashi."

The room was quiet as the three adults stared at the two girls. "Such a prestigious name…." Kakashi muttered more to himself. "Your parents would be quite ashamed if they found out their daughters were stealing. Especially from Tsunade."

Xin gazed at him blankly, eyebrows slightly rose. "The hell she so special for?" She asked slowly. "For a Hyuga…you're quite rude…" Shizune pointed out. "Yes, well…I've been told that often…"

"Have you ever heard of the Will of Fire academy?" Tsunade asked the two. The two blinked curiously. "Doesn't our cousin attend that place? That's like….some school for future heroes and heroines and whatnot…right?" the dancer asked. The guardian sighed at her sister's stupid way of thinking. "Yes….." She trailed off.

"I'm the headmistress of that academy."

Again, the room was quiet.

"…..Aw, fuck."

* * *

Moments later, the adults had untied the girls and have given them meat and bread from the inn's kitchen. They watched quietly as the dancer shoved the food into her mouth while the guardian politely ate her share. They waited until they were both finished eating to ask their questions. "Why exactly are you traveling?" Shizune asked first. The sisters glanced at one another with shared expressions. The dancer only shrugged casually.

"When the children of our clan turn fifteen, they are sent out on a retrieval mission to prove themselves," the guardian began to explain. "Getting the item was quite easy. The traveling is where the difficulty lies. We must prove ourselves in battle and endurance," she finished with a smile.

"We were doing well until we ran out of food. That's where you came along," the dancer pointed to Tsunade. "We weren't going to steal all your money. Just enough to get us through the rest of the journey. I'm sure if guardian angel over here didn't make quite a fuss about it, we would've gotten the money quicker," She rolled her eyes and jabbed her thumb at the said guardian.

"It's not my fault I'm not a thief."

"I'm not a thief either."

"You were going to _steal_ from her. That's _thievery."_

"It was for a good cause."

"It's still stealing."

The three watched the two bicker back and forth. "So!" Tsunade suddenly clapped her hands together. "You two…you're not enrolled in any academies as of now?" She asked, an eyebrow quirked in question. "We're only fifteen. We have to wait until we're sixteen, so no. We're still being taught from our clan," the dancer paused in her bickering long enough to answer Tsunade.

The busty blond smiled and turned away from the two. "What are you thinking, Mistress?" Kakashi asked first. "They're quite talented, don't you think?" She asked, not answering Kakashi. "Quite. What does their talents have to do with anything?"

"And they're from the Hyuga clan."

"Yes…that's been confirmed."

"Mistress….."

Tsunade turned back to the two girls, who were still bickering. "Girls!" She clapped her hands together with a smile. They instantly stopped arguing to look at the older woman. "Yes….?" They trailed off in unison.

"How would you like to attend Will of Fire Academy?"

* * *

My name is Hyuga Xin. I turned fifteen in December along with my twin sister, Hinata. In the world of monsters and heroes, I am a dancer. I use the flow of music and the currents of the wind to defend myself. My sister, as a guardian, uses white magic.

We lived in Konohagakure with our clan. My immediate family includes my parents, Hiashi and Manami and my younger sister, Hanabi. My father is in the Samurai class while my mother is a caster. And Hanabi was in training to be an alchemist.

Our clan had the tradition of sending the children out when they become fifteen on a mission to retrieve something. If they came back alive with the item, they would be deemed worthy. Once they become sixteen, they would be sent off to one of the academies to be trained to become a hero or heroine.

My sister and I completed this tradition without a problem. Er…okay. That's kind of a lie. I tried to steal some currency off of this blond woman. This blond woman turned out to be Senju Tsunade, a battle priest. She was the head mistress of the world renowned academy, Will of Fire Academy.

And I tried to steal for her.

Granted, I would've succeeded if my sister would've just shut the hell up quicker. But either way, we were both caught by her assistant and one of the instructors, Shizune and Kakashi. Impressed with out talents _(all I did was lull her to sleep, but whatever)_ Tsunade offered us an early admission into the academy.

We agreed. But would our parents?

I dunno, we're on our way to find out now.

* * *

"I haven't been to Konoha in such a long time," Tsunade hummed pleasantly. She, Kakashi and Shizune followed behind the Hyuga twins. "Quite nostalgic," Kakashi commented offhandedly. The twins said nothing, simply leading them to the Hyuga compound. "Wait here," Xin instructed before she and her double walked further into the large main house. "How do you think they'll react?" Xin asked, nearing the main room where their parents would be.

"I'm not sure. I'm willing to bet they'll think you've done something wrong."

"That's not fair. They always think I've screwed something up."

"…That's true."

Xin only snorted blankly before snapping the sliding door open loudly. "We're home!" She exclaimed ever more loudly. The occupants of the room jumped, clearly startled by the short girl's sudden outburst. "You two are home sooner than expected…" the eldest woman, Manami, trailed off. She climbed to her feet and graciously shuffled over to her two daughters. "Did you succeed in your task?" She asked with a serious look.

Hinata bowed her head in greeting to her Mother. She reached inside the folds of her sleeves and produced one single scroll. "So much trouble for one scroll," Xin mumbled under my breath. Manami simply rolled her eyes at her daughter before lightly tapping her forehead with her scroll.

"You haven't caused any trouble, have you?"

"Well….."

"What have you done this time?"

"Er….let me explain…"

Hinata sighed heavily as Manami and Hiashi both gave her sister the evil eye. "Milady? Could you come in here?" Hinata called outside. Her parents blinked in question, leaving their dancer of a daughter alone to peer up at the door. Tsunade stepped into the room along with Kakashi and Shizune. Manami blinked quizzically before looking at Xin. "What in the world did you do?" She said through tight lips.

"It's been awhile, Lady Tsunade," Hiashi stood up to greet the blond. She simply smiled and nodded her head. "It has. Don't fret, Manami-San. Your daughter hasn't done anything wrong," Tsunade cut in, pushing Xin out of the way to direct a fake smile to the Hyuga matriarch. Xin giggled nervously but nodded nonetheless.

"Pardon me, but, what is it that you need with my daughters?" Manami asked, not wanting to sound rude. Tsunade continued to smile and it made Manami feel uneasy. Whatever the woman wanted, she knew she wasn't going to like it.

"Xin, Hinata." Hiashi's voice rang out. The two girls perked up, turning to him. "Yes, Father?" Hinata asked. "Go prepare tea for our guests," He ordered sternly. Xin opened her mouth to protest-_she hated making tea. _But one fierce look had her scampering off into the direction of the kitchen with her sister in tow.

"What is it that you want to discuss, Tsunade-San?"

"You've heard of my academy, yes?"

* * *

"Well….that was easier than expected."

Xin and Hinata sat in a booth across from Tsunade and Shizune. Kakashi had vanished off somewhere, maybe to the dining cart. Who knows? Tsunade simply smirked. "Well, when they heard I'd be taking _you _off their hands, they readily agreed," She chuckled at Xin's offended look. "That is a lie."

"Is it? I'd be ready to give you up too. Thief."

"I did what I had to do to survive!"

Shizune and Hinata sighed in exasperation at the same time. "Don't patronize her, milady. People are looking," She chided her boss. "Milady? Surely it isn't that easy to gain admission into your school, right? Is there something else we have to complete before full enrollment?" Hinata suddenly asked, causing Xin to blink in confusion.

"There's more to the admission?" She groaned loudly. "Of course. My academy is the best academy in the country. Did you really think all it took to get in was your parents agreeing?"

"Well….."

"I feel quite offended."

Again, Hinata sighed. "Please elaborate," She motioned for Tsunade to continue and to ignore anything else her sister would say. "It's a simple test, really. Nothing too dangerous," Tsunade began to say. "But there's a certain amount of people who get in right? If it's not that dangerous, anyone could get into the school," Xin suddenly piped up in a snooty tone.

"I'm slowly beginning to regret my decision about you."

"They always do."

"I can see why."

Hinata and Shizune only sighed. This would be a long train ride.

* * *

_TeeBeMe: Short. I know I'm usually known for freakishly long chapters full of insanity and talking and arguing and what not. I'm holding off. I want to see if you guys would like this type of story. I'm quite excited about it. I love stories that are based off of role playing games. _

**Xin: Tell us what you think of me being a dancer and Hinata being a guardian? Were they fitting? What do you think everyone else will be? **

_TeeBeMe: Born to Die, which the story's title is based off of, belongs to my queen Lana Del Rey. I hope you guys like this. Review, yes? Yes. I'll see you next time. _


	2. Take me to the finish line

_TeeBeMe: And here we are with chapter two. I hope you guys like it!_

**Xin: TeeBeMe only owns the OCs. She does not own anything canon. **

* * *

"This is Will of Fire Academy?"

Hinata and I stepped into the large courtyard. In front of us stood Tsunade's massive school. I could see that there were two floors to the school but it was a very long school. Flanking the school was four taller buildings, a different color flag by the doors.

"Milady, what are those buildings?" Hinata asked, motioning to the four buildings. "Those are the dormitories that the students stay in. If you pass the test, you will be assigned a dorm," Tsunade explained, leading us towards the school. "The opening ceremony is about to begin. Shizune, Kakashi and I need to prepare along with the other instructors," Tsunade continued to us as we entered the school. Hinata and I looked around in awe at the marble architecture of the school.

"Go through that door and keep walking until you come to a set of big double doors. That is the sparring room or the gymnasium as some call it. The ceremony will be held there. Do not be late," Tsunade instructed the two of us. Shizune gave us a parting smile as we watched the adults go off into a different direction.

I waited until they were completely gone before walking into a different direction than where the sparring room was. Hinata sighed from behind me before grabbing the end of my ponytail and yanking on it. "Wrong way," She told me simply, pulling harder on my hair.

"OW! Ow, ow, ow."

* * *

The sparring room was huge with a gated platform several feet above the floor. A large bunch of other teenagers hoping to gain full enrollment loitered around, waiting for Tsunade to come and make her speech. "Not everyone will make it," Hinata said from beside me as we looked around at the different faces. "We'll make it," I shrugged indifferently. She gave me a hopeful smile before walking further into the room, me following behind her.

I heard some cackling somewhere close to us as we paused in an open space. Hinata turned towards the noise, frowning thoughtfully. "Oh, Xin….those girls," She pointed off into the direction. I turned to look, my face indifferent.

The first one I saw was a girl with bright red hair. I thought the shade of her hair was quite pretty, it was like cherry red or something. But her hairstyle was weird; one side was neatly brushed down while the other side was wild and unruly. She was standing with two other girls surrounding another girl.

The other girl who they were cackling at had short pink hair. Pink hair. Who the hell had pink hair? I mean, not that I should be talking, seeing as how I had lavender eyes with no pupils. But still. It was cherry blossom pink and her eyes were electric green. I thought she was pretty.

And that redhead and her duo of idiots were picking on pinky because her hair was pink. I sighed heavily and moved first. Hands on my hips, I approached the gang of girls, frowning in annoyance. "The girl who clearly has no idea how to use a brush is picking on someone else because of her hair?" I asked, shoving past her two friends. I could hear her friends squawking out but I simply waved them off.

Cherry red whipped around to face me, sneering at me. "Excuse me?" She sniffed out, hands on her hips. "I'm just saying," I paused, shrugging. "I really don't think you should be picking on her because of her pink hair when it looks like one side of your head got stuck in a suction tool," I pointed out, motioning to the wild side of her hair.

"And who the hell do you think you are?" She continued to sneer at me while pinky stared at me in question. "Someone who could beat your little scrawny ass if you don't quit it," I snapped back at her. She had a couple of inches on me but I could tell by her stance and the lack of muscles that she had that she wasn't a combat fighter. She probably used magic.

"I am not scrawny," She seethed at me. "You're right. Your thighs are huge. Like sausages," I commented with raised eyebrows. I watched as her face exploded in a color similar to her hair and eyes. Too much red. Too much of something was not a good thing. It made her look extremely unflattering.

"What the hell is your name?"

"Xin."

"I won't forget that."

I watched in boredom as she stomped away, her squawking friends following after her. Once they were out of my sight, I turned to pinky. "And your name is?" I asked, my eyebrows still rose. "Uh," pinky stuttered, looking away from the cherry redhead retreating. "Um….Haruno Sakura."

"Hi Sakura," I greeted her. "I'm Hyuga Xin and this is my sister Hinata," I pointed at myself and then to my sister. "Hello Sakura," Hinata greeted more kindly. "Hi," Sakura nodded her head. "Listen, Sakura, when people are picking on you….don't let them! Damn, what the hell is wrong with you?" I reprimanded her.

She seemed a little surprised by my sudden outburst. "What….don't just yell at me like I'm a child," She huffed back. "Oh, oh…now you can stand up for yourself," I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest. "Girls, please," Hinata stood in the middle of us, holding her hands up. "What my sister means to say," Hinata began, giving me a look. "Is that you shouldn't let people pick on you. Stand up for yourself or you'll fall for anything," Hinata told her with a more kind edge to her tone.

"Oi, Tsunade is up," I pointed above us to the platform. Tsunade was standing on the platform with Shizune at her side. Sakura made a move to walk off somewhere but Hinata quickly grabbed onto her arm. "Why don't you stay with us?" She asked sweetly. Oh God, she's already going guardian on someone and we haven't even been here an hour.

Sakura blushed but nodded.

Looks like we have a new friend.

Tsunade began to speak about the academy and all of this crap that I tuned out. It wasn't my fault, I've stated before that I had a hard time listening to anything when music wasn't involved. Self-consciously I ran my fingers across my flute attached to my hip.

Could we just get this initiation test over with?

* * *

"Hinata? Why are we standing on a cliff over a dark forest?"

Hinata sighed heavily as her sister peered over the edge with an interested look. "You weren't listening at all, were you?" She asked, pressing her fingers to her forehead in exasperation. "There was no music." She frowned, glancing at Hinata for a quick second before looking back over the edge.

"Stop using that as an excuse to ignore people."

"It's not an excuse."

Sakura looked back and forth between the bickering females. They were very….strange girls. They got along and always seemed to be in sync with another but then they would start bickering out of nowhere.

And the nice one-_Hinata_, had not let Sakura out of her sight. Any time she attempted to move away from the odd twins, Hinata would latch onto her arm and insist that she stick with them. Sakura was sure it was because Hinata was worried that the redhead girl would come back to pick with her again.

"Xin, would you please step back?" Tsunade suddenly appeared next to the young girl. Xin simply gave a small smile and stepped away. "Milady," She nodded her head, standing with Sakura and Hinata.

"Now the real fun is about to begin," Tsunade began pleasantly. "This," She swept her hand out towards the forest. "Is the Forest of Death," She smirked, watching as some of the young teenagers paled. She noticed Xin looked as if she was ready to come near the edge again. Hinata's hand clamped around her wrist.

"This is where you will prove whether or not you are worthy of attending Will of Fire," the blond began. "It's simple really. You simply take one of these scrolls," She motioned to the table of scrolls off to the side. "And navigate your way through the forest to the center where these is a building. If you make it to the building, then we will see if you are worthy," She continued to explain.

"Oh! Before I forget! It's full of rabid monsters."

She was sure everyone paled.

"Uh…milady?" Sakura raised her hand. "Yes?" Tsunade looked at the pink haired woman. "Are we allowed partners or anything like that?" Sakura asked nervously. Tsunade looked thoughtful. "Yes. No more than three people, though. Is everyone ready?"

No one said anything. "Alright. Who wants to go first?" Tsunade asked, still smiling. Xin glanced around, frowning. She looked at Hinata, who looked back at her before sighing heavily. There was no point to tell her gutsy twin 'no'. She wanted to go first, obviously.

"I'll go!"

"Xin….why am I not surprised?" Tsunade asked with a more humored smile. Xin simply grinned in return. She looked at Hinata, still grinning. "I'll see you at the bottom," She nodded and then turned to Sakura. "You too."

Before anyone could say anything more, Xin took off running towards the edge of the cliff. The little dancer let out a whoop of excitement and jumped right off the edge without any hesitance. They could hear her screaming in excitement as she plunged down into the forest.

"Clearly that one is crazy."

* * *

Xin hummed pleasantly to herself, picking out the twigs and leaves that were tangled into her hair from cliff diving. She couldn't understand why everyone else was taking different routes down. Hinata and Sakura were climbing down. Diving was so much more fun and faster.

Sitting on a large rock, she grabbed her flute and placed it to her lips. She already knew that Hinata was going to kindly force Sakura to stick with them and she knew they would both be awhile before getting to where she was.

She still hadn't found her cousin yet and she was sure he had no idea she and her sister had been allowed early admission into the school. Internally, she smirked. He'd always thought she was an idiot _(well, everyone did but her cousin was an ass)_ and didn't think she'd get accepted into the same school he attended.

It was going to kill him knowing that both she and Hinata had gotten into the prestigious school a year early. Oh, she couldn't wait to see his face. Oh, it was going to be fuckin' glorious.

"Xin!"

She paused, bringing the flute away from her lips to look up. "Oh. You guys got down here quicker than I expected," She stated, sliding off of the rock. "It's a good thing we're partners. You forgot this," Hinata dropped down next to Xin first, holding the scroll. "You're crazy," Sakura stated plainly, landing next to Hinata. "Get used to it," Xin grinned widely. "What are you?" She suddenly asked, turning around leading them off into the deep forest. "I'm a healer," Sakura answered, following with Hinata.

"Oh, she's a guardian," Xin jabbed her thumb in her sister's direction. "And I'm a dancer," she motioned to herself. "I think it's safe to say you'll be seeing us a lot if we all pass this," She began to babble on.

"You think so?"

"Well…yeah. We're friends."

Sakura paused, staring at the back of both girls. When had they become friends? Why did they even want to be her friend? She could tell that all of their personalities were different. She was quiet and wanted to be left by herself. Hinata was shy but kind and wanted people to get along. Xin was loud and gutsy and really didn't care about anyone.

And yet, they were friends?

How odd.

* * *

"We've been traveling for an hour and haven't run into anything."

"That's good. It makes things easier."

A twig suddenly snapped.

The three girls paused, eyes wide. "Good going, Xin," Sakura huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "You jinxed it," She accused the pale girl. Xin only rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. "Who cares," She replied, her smile stretching into an excited grin. She was just itching to beat something.

Hinata stretched out her hand, a blinding white light emitting from nowhere. Seconds later she was holding a long snow white staff. At the tip of the staff nestled a large light blue crystal ball. Jutting out of the sides of the ball were two long blades. Xin simply stood with her legs slightly parted. And Sakura held up glowing green hands defensively.

Monsters slowly crept out of the darkness of the forest. They looked like mutated big cats and large insects. Sakura shivered as one giant centipede creature crept closer to her. She glanced to the side, noticing that it seemed like rapid winds were circling around Xin's fists.

Xin launched herself forward first, slamming her fist into the closest monster. Hinata chanted something quietly and waved her pretty blue staff at two monsters. A burst of wind erupted from Xin's direction, blowing the monster away. Another blinding white light emitted from Hinata's staff, crashing into three monsters at once.

Sakura waved her hands in a circle and curled her hands into a ball. A green barrier surrounded two of the monsters. She threw her arms up to the left and watched the green barrier went sailing off into the distance, carrying the two monsters away.

Xin and Hinata momentarily paused to watch the two monsters sailing away. "I didn't know healers could do that," Xin frowned, blinking quizzically. "Well," Hinata ducked out of the way of a large claw aimed for her head. "They must defend themselves someway, right?" She jerked her staff forward, digging the blades into the stomach of the monster trying to behead her.

Xin only nodded with a thoughtful look. She ducked down, rolling forward under the legs of a humanoid monster. She unfurled herself, whipping around to slam the base of her boot into the monster's back, sending it hurtling towards her sister. "Watch your back," She hummed, turning around to attack another enemy.

Hinata twisted on her foot in a dance-like movement, swinging her staff and batting away the hurtling monster.

They carried on.

* * *

"_RUUUN!" _

Sakura and Hinata screeched loudly, darting away. Hinata kept a firm grip on her sister's wrist, who was whining and screaming about how they shouldn't run away from an enemy. Xin hated to back down from a fight. And for some strange reason, Hinata's iron grip on her wrist was not letting up, forcing her to run.

"Guys! Let go! C'mon, we can take that thing down!"

"Shut up, dammit! There's no way we can take that thing down!"

"Dodge!" Hinata cried while throwing Xin to the side, she dove after her. Hopefully Sakura was able to dodge out of the way of the giant creature slamming its hand down to the ground. Hinata ducked her head down and forced Xin down as the shock-wave sent debris flying everywhere.

"Still think we can take that thing down?" Hinata whispered into Xin's ear. Xin huffed and jerked up, forcing Hinata's hand off her back. "We could've…" She mumbled. "Come on," Hinata shook her head and grabbed onto Xin, yanking her to her feet.

"Run!" she heard Sakura shout from somewhere. "Go," Hinata shoved Xin forward first. Xin did as she was told, taking off first through the forestry. Hinata followed after to her, letting out a little squeak when the giant creature let out a roar before chasing after the three of them.

"This is stupid!" Xin screeched as low branches and twigs snatched at her long ponytail and her clothing. "Just keep going!" Sakura ordered, ducking and jumping over tree stumps and branches. The three of them dodged behind a giant stone, gasping for air. "I…have an idea…" Xin panted out, leaning forward. "I swear to the Gods that if you say we take it head on, I'm going to slap you," Sakura threatened.

Xin only huffed. "You know, where the hell was all this feisty attitude you've got going on when that redheaded freak was bullying on you?" She sniffed out. Sakura simply shot a glare at her. "What's the plan?" Hinata asked, pulling them out of their petty bickering.

"I'm a dancer! All that running you two made me forget! I'll just put it to sleep," Xin pointed out, whipping out her purple and black flute. "You think that might work?" Sakura blinked, brushing a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "Worked on Tsunade…" Xin trailed off with a sheepish grin.

"You put Mistress Tsunade to sleep?"

"Didn't I mention that already?"

"No! Why would you put her to sleep?"

"Girls, I really don't think that's an important topic at the moment…"

The two ceased in their bickering. "What's the plan?" Hinata prompted again. Xin grinned widely, staring at her two partners. "You girls ever played bait?" She leered at them, running her fingers up and down the flute.

"…..Do you know the meaning of play?" Sakura asked after a long pause. "Of course I do," Xin rolled her big eyes. "No, I don't think you do. We are not playing with that thing. This is our lives we're talking about," Sakura began to ramble, her voice becoming pitchy with panic.

"Oh shut up and just trust me! I've got your back, jeez! Do you think I'd let my own sister and my friend go out there if I didn't think I could pull this off?" Xin huffed, folding her arms across her chest. Sakura only sighed heavily. Xin smiled widely and held her fist up. Sakura stared at it and then glanced at Hinata, who simply shrugged.

She placed her fist on top of Xin's fist and Hinata repeated the action, placing her fist on top of Sakura's fist. "Don't let us down," Hinata said seriously. Xin simply nodded, her smile never faltering.

She watched quietly as Hinata and Sakura climbed to their feet. They both shared a slightly nervous look. Hinata summoned her bladed staff while Sakura willed her hands to glow green. Xin watched as they leapt over the rock and straight into a game of cat and mouse in the small clearing.

Almost immediately she climbed up to sit cross-legged on the rock. She watched as Sakura held a green shield over her face to block an attack. Hinata waved her staff, sending a ball of white light to the giant fiend. Xin almost wanted to cheer proudly for her sister. But she remembered that she had a job to complete.

With trained fingers and a relaxed expression, she softly began to play her flute. The tune she played started off softly, barely audible. Before long, it became louder melody that floated through the clearing.

Hinata and Sakura stilled, their body becoming less tense. Their faces relaxed as the giant insect-like fiend tittered on its legs. It swayed twice before finally collapsing in a giant heap, its weight sending debris flying everywhere. Sakura held up a barrier over Hinata and herself while Xin held her arms up in front of her face to block any of the debris.

Moments past before Xin dropped her hands, grinning widely. She jumped up, whooping loudly in excitement. "Look! Look! We did it!" She cheered loudly. "Stop screaming before it wakes up!" Sakura shouted, beaming at rock at Xin's face.

Hinata began to laugh as Xin squealed and slipped off of the rock, falling into a pile of leaves. As Xin scrambled to her feet, she and Sakura began to comically bicker over nothing. Hinata simply herded the two away before they could find anymore trouble.

* * *

"Is this the place?"

"Gee, I dunno, Sakura….it is the _only_ building in the middle of this God-forsaken forest…"

Sakura glared at Xin as the three of them stood in front of a large building. "The journey here seemed a lot shorter than it should have been," Hinata thoughtfully pointed out with a frown. "I think it's because we spent half the time running and screaming," Xin shrugged with a hand on her hip. Hinata simply laughed.

Sakura moved first, leading the twins into the building. "Do you think we're the last ones?" She asked nervously as they walked down a long hallway. "I hope not," Xin frowned, rubbing the back of her neck.

They came to a door and Xin opened it. As soon as she opened it, she wished she hadn't. She groaned loudly at the person who looked up. "Oh dear God…." She groaned loudly, eyes on the redheaded girl from earlier with the matching cherry eyes.

"You!" Cherry head jumped up with a scowl, her eyes narrowing behind the frames of her black glasses. Xin stared at her blankly while Hinata sighed heavily and Sakura blinked in surprise. "Excuse me," Hinata said in a polite tone, waltzing past Xin and the other girl to sit down.

Cherry whipped around to say something to Hinata about her uncaring attitude but paused when Xin opened her mouth first. "Don't even," She snapped, cutting her eyes into a glare. "Uh," Sakura stepped forward. "What's your name?" She asked the opposing girl. Xin turned to look at her, clearly surprised. "Why the hell do you want to know her name?" She snapped at the pinkette. Sakura simply ignored her.

"Uzumaki Karin."

"Haruno Sakura. And this is Hyuga Xin and her sister, Hinata." Sakura introduced them all. Karin seemed put off by Sakura's suddenly friendly nature. "You're so fuckin' weird," Xin rolled her eyes but joined Hinata, motioning for Sakura to come sit with them.

"How did someone like you get here so fast?" Xin suddenly asked Karin, her face showing no signs of emotion for the redhead. Karin simply looked down at Xin, frowning. "Why does it matter to you?" She hissed down at Xin, folding her arms defensively across her chest.

"I can already tell you're going to have a hard time making friends."

Karin and Xin stared at one another. One glaring while the other stared blankly. Sakura looked in between the two before smiling weakly. "Looks like Xin has a new friend, hm?" She looked down at Hinata. The calm teenager simply laughed. "It would seem so," She agreed with Sakura with a friendly smile.

"She is _not_ my friend!"

"She'd be lucky to be my friend!"

"Oh shut up, you freak!"

* * *

"Look around, boys and girls."

Hours later, all of the teenagers who passed the initiation test were standing back in the large sparring room. Like the first time, Tsunade and Shizune stood over them on the raised platform. Tsunade was leaning forward _(giving them all a lovely view of her_ _cleavage)_ with her hands propped on the iron bar.

"You all are lucky enough to pass the initiation test without a problem. You were monitored the entire time and have been hand-picked by my staff and myself," Tsunade began to say with a smirk. "All _we_ did was run around screaming…" Xin mumbled to herself. Hinata elbowed her in her side.

"Take a look around you. You are this year's rookies. It will not be easy but nothing in this life is ever easy. We will mold you into the strong heroes and heroines that this world needs," Tsunade continued on with her like she knew she would, Xin zoned out. It really wasn't just an excuse like everyone thought. She really couldn't pay attention long enough if there was no type of music playing. She was sure that if she meant another bard or dancer, they'd agree with her.

She felt a sharp nudge in her side. "We're being assigned to our dorms," Hinata told her with a frown. Xin looked up at the large screen that she hadn't even noticed was there. Frowning the scanned through the names, trying to find her name and Hinata's name.

"Oh, Hina…look. We're in the same dorm," Xin grinned widely. "The House of Dusk," She read with raised eyebrows. "What about you, Sakura?" Hinata turned to their pink haired friend. "It seems as though both Karin and I are assigned to the House of Sunrise," Sakura told them, electric green eyes trained on the screen.

"Oh, God. She wasn't placed in the same house as us? How the hell is she going to make friends?" Xin asked blankly, hand on her hip. "Nonsense. She has Karin. Hopefully they'll be in the same room," Hinata smiled sweetly.

"Hopefully."

* * *

Xin and Hinata, along with a few others slowly entered the House of Dusk. One of the other teenagers had informed them that the sorting had been based on background. Kids in the House of Dusk were primarily from rich or upper-classed families. Sunrise were for the highly intelligent kids, Sunset was the kids who were fighters and Dawn were the artistic kids.

"Neji is in here somewhere," Xin grinned evilly, not even bothering to take in the beauty of the house. Hinata simply ignored her and led her up the stairs to find their dorm room. "Look, this is us," Hinata smiled, pointing to a door at the end of the hallway, labeled Dorm Thirteen.

She opened the door. The dorm was simple and bare for the most part. The walls were painted royal purple, the representing color of the house while the carpet was a purple so dark it looked black. Two sizable beds were on opposing sides of the room. A large window took up most of the back wall. Two matching wardrobes faced each other from the opposite sides of the room.

In the middle of the room was their entire luggage stacked neatly. "Guess Mom and Dad knew we'd get accepted," Xin hummed, stepping forward first to their luggage. "Let's dress this place up, hm?" She smiled and began to pull things out.

Hinata allowed her sister to dart around the room, fixing things up. Her sister didn't like to admit it, but she was extremely OCD when it came to their room being clean and organized. A person would think that with Xin's laid back and lazy attitude, she'd be a complete slob. But instead, she was the opposite. A compulsive neat freak.

In no time, their clothes were divided and placed in their own wardrobes. She had stripped the beds of their plain white sheets and replaced it with purple and lavender sheets and blankets. She had even hung up a heavy purple and black striped curtain at the large window.

"What do you think?" Xin grinned, plopping down on the bed she had claimed. "It's very…._us," _Hinata nodded and smiled. "Mm. Who knew you and I would get an early admission into a school like this. You think Mom and Dad are proud?" Xin suddenly asked, her eyes hopeful.

Hinata smiled almost sadly. Their parents loved Xin, they really did. But it was no secret that Xin was an outcast among them all. A dancer among paladins, alchemists and guardians. Even Xin knew she was a disappointment.

But she had made an effort to change her class. And it failed, miserably. But the fact that she had tried who was to please her parents and family was a good thing, in their family's eyes. So, she continued with being a dancer. But she tried her hardest to enhance her abilities so she didn't just dance around and sing like a normal dancer.

They should be proud.

"I think they're quite proud of you," Hinata nodded after a second. "_Us_. They're proud of _us_," Xin reminded her sister with a funny smile. "Yes, of course," Hinata nodded for the second time. The room was comfortably quiet for a long moment.

"Hey, Xin? How about we try to stay low, okay? Try not to get into trouble or anything like that," Hinata asked after a moment. "Me? Trouble? Never!" Xin flagged her off with a snort of laughter. Hinata only chuckled and shook her head."Do you think Sakura is done unpacking?"

"Possibly. Shall we find out?"

"Hina? Stop talking like that. I'm going to be pissed off if I have to kick someone's ass when they pick on you."

"Oh, be quiet."

* * *

_TeeBeMe: So, now we've got Karin and Sakura thrown into there. I wonder whose going to come next. This chapter was a little longer than the first but not as long as my usual updates. Don't worry. I'll get back to it. _

**Xin: Did you guys like it? Sakura and I bicker a lot. And so do Karin and I. Why do I argue with people so much? **

_TeeBeMe: Because you're stubborn and stupid._

**Xin: You...you're mean. **

_TeeBeMe: Yes well...yeah. Drop a review, okay guys? We'll be waiting!_


	3. But I am free

_TeeBeMe: Update. Hi guys. What's up, hows school going? That's like a legit question, you guys can PM me and everything, I like to talk lol._

**Xin: Aren't you forgetting something important? **

_TeeBeMe: The story, right? I didn't forget. Do your thing. _

**Xin: Right right. TeeBeMe does not own anything. Just the OCs. **

* * *

"I'm sick of those uppity little twits giving us evil looks every time we come to see Sakura."

I glanced up at my gutsy sister, frowning as I brushed my hair. It was the third day after we had been accepted into the academy. Tsunade was allowing us a free week of getting around and becoming familiar with the area.

Xin and I wandered aimlessly around the school, trying to remember rooms and any instructors we happened to come across. And then we would go over to the House of Sunrise to visit Sakura and see how her day of exploring had gone.

It's quite funny when she opens her door to see us. I have a feeling Sakura did not have many friends as a child. She seemed secluded and found comfort in the solitude of her books and scrolls that were full of information. Clearly she hadn't realized Xin was quite serious when she said that the three of us are friends. But I'm sure she's getting used to our company. However, her housemates did not exactly take too kindly to us.

Apparently the four dormitories have some sort of rivalry. Sunset and Sunrise seem to get along well, as do Dusk and Dawn. But Sunrise and Sunset do not seem to get along well with Dusk and Dawn. Xin and I didn't really understand it, seeing as how we still came to see Sakura despite all the nasty glares we received until we were able to hide out in Sakura's room.

"It's something out of our hands, Xin. We're just rookies having to deal with a rivalry that was already made before we came," I told my sister as I motioned for her to come and sit down in front of me. "I know it's been like this but damn, the rookies can't be friends?" She huffed, plopping down obediently.

"They were all rookies once," I reminded her, pulling and tugging her hair into a braid that would hang down her back. "They're all stupid now," She childishly huffed again. I only smiled as my fingers worked her hair together.

"Sis? You've been sleeping alright?"

I paused, my fingers almost tangling in her midnight blue hair. In every generation in the Hyuga clan, one child is blessed with prophetic dreams. Unfortunately, as the eldest child of the main family, I was chosen to have those dreams. They came every now and then; they showed me things like what class someone would be or the death of a person. A joyous occasion, a tragic occasion. Anything and everything.

I hated it.

The dreams scared me, made me feel nervous. I've been forced to live countless amounts of deaths only to relieve them in the real world. I did not want to have this gift, as the Hyuga Elders called it. It was a curse. "I've been sleeping fine. I haven't had any dreams as of late, if that's what you're hinting at," I told her, watching her frown in the mirror nestled in front of us. She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off.

"What shall we do today?"

She paused, her frown becoming deeper. "I don't really know," She shrugged after a long pause. "Perhaps Sakura might have an idea," I suggested to her, moving back as she stood up. "Perhaps," She turned around to look up at me, smiling.

"And Xin? Do not hit any of her housemates if they say anything."

"….Fine."

* * *

"I _cannot_ believe you."

Sakura cradled her face in her hands while Hinata blatantly face-palmed. Xin frowned innocently, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room. Karin sat on her bed, frowning down at Xin in confusion.

She ran her fingers through her cherry-red locks and reached over to the nightstand to pick up her glasses. Sliding the black frames to the bridge of her nose, she finally asked what had happened. "Someone wanna explain what's going on? What was that loud bang I heard? I was sleeping, you know. It woke me up," She babbled on.

"It's not like we can tell with one side of your head looking a mess and the other looking perfectly neat…." Xin mumbled into her palm. Karin fumed, her face heating up. "What is it with you and my hair you little hobbit!" She snapped at the pale girl. "I am not a hobbit!" She hissed, jumping up defensively. "Could've fooled me with your meager height…." Karin remarked, arms crossed.

"Sausage-thighs…."

"You little-,"

"Girls!" Hinata clapped her hands loudly. "Friends do not bicker like this," She scolded them, clapping her hands at them as if they were children. "We are not friends!" Karin and Xin exclaimed at the same time. "You're friends." Hinata stated firmly, ignoring Xin's childish pouting and Karin's whining.

"But Hinata…"

_"You. Are. Friends."_

Xin folded her arms and huffed childishly while Karin shrank away from the seemingly shy female. "Well?" She turned away from Hinata to look at her pink haired roommate. "What happened down there?" She huffed, she wanted some answers. She had been in the middle of a beautiful dream when a loud thud echoed throughout the dorm. Shouting soon followed afterwards.

"I'd just like to say that in my defense, Hinata told me not to hit anyone. I didn't _hit_ anyone…" Xin began to say with a nervous smile. Sakura turned blazing electric green eyes on her. "You slammed someone's head through the wall! Where do you even get strength like that? You're a dancer! A gypsy! You gypsies don't have the strength to do that!" She began to shriek.

Hinata remained calm during Sakura's outburst while Karin and Xin flinched away from the raging healer. Several quiet minutes ticked by as the three stared at the enraged woman. "…You slammed someone's head through a wall?" Karin suddenly asked, turning to look at Xin. The Hyuga opened her mouth to say something but closed it and then a thoughtful look crossed her features. "…Yeah," She replied slowly.

"Oh dear God…"

"Out with it! How does a dancer do something like that?" Sakura demanded. "Before we get to that…why the hell would you do that to someone?" Karin butt in. Sakura looked thoughtful and then frowned. "Why _would_ you do something like that?"

"Because your housemates are a bunch of stuck up little fucks," Xin snapped at the two, folding her arms across her chest. "Just because they don't like you doesn't mean you should go around slamming their heads into walls…" Sakura began to scold the younger girl. "She's right, Xin. You know that it was completely wrong to do something like that. You're lucky Sakura is a healer. You could've broken something," Hinata joined in, hands on her hips. "I wanted to break his face." Xin retorted snobbishly.

Sakura simply glared at her while Hinata sighed heavily. "So, how exactly are you strong enough to do that? I mean, if you were a warrior or a brawler or even a knight, I'd understand. But you're a dancer. Dancers are generally weak and rely on music tricks," Karin began to say while ignoring Xin's glare.

"I use the weight of wind to enhance my strength," Xin explained shortly with a blank expression. "Wind…you know how to use an element?" Sakura asked, her pink eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. Xin frowned and glanced at Hinata. "We both do," She motioned to her sister. "Don't you?" She prompted.

"You don't learn element manipulation until your second year at the academy," Sakura pointed out. "So, how do you two know how to do it already?" Karin tilted her head to the side. "Because we're special," Xin shrugged after a moment. "What makes you say that?" Karin placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, for one, we're younger than you. And two, we already have element manipulation down," Xin shrugged in an uncaring manner. Hinata shot a look at her. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone that," She whispered to Xin. "They should at least know, right? We are friends. What's the worse that could happen?"

"How old are you two?" Sakura asked suddenly, breaking the twins from their quiet debate. "We just turned fifteen last December," Hinata sighed heavily. "You're only fifteen?" Karin gaped at the two. "It's not that big of a deal," Xin waved the statement off casually. "It is a big deal! How in the hell did you get into the academy and you're not even sixteen?" Karin demanded while Sakura simply frowned.

"Funny story, actually."

* * *

"I hate you."

"Don't be jealous, you hag."

"I'm one year older than you, Xin."

"I'm still younger than you, Karin."

Sakura and Hinata tried their best to ignore the bickering females. After the twins explained how they had gotten accepted into the academy, Hinata suggested they leave the House of Sunrise. The glares the twins received on their way out the door was enough to make someone lash out. Luckily, Xin behaved and remained quiet.

They came to the large field of grass situated behind the school. The four rookies guessed that outdoor sparring matches probably took place here. Xin sat down first, spreading her arms and legs out. She felt the other three move around her, finding a comfortable position to sit in.

"Does it scare you?" Sakura suddenly asked. "Does what?" Karin asked before anyone could say anything. "The thought of what's waiting for us after the academy," Sakura hummed out. "It's only our third day and you're already thinking about something like that?" Xin frowned, her eyes trained on the blue sky above.

"I've been thinking about it ever since I became a healer," Sakura replied. "You're so weird," Xin mumbled more to herself than to Sakura. Sakura only shook her head. "You know, I heard one of the second years is quite popular from some of the other rookies," Karin suddenly grinned slyly.

"Really? What's his name?" Hinata asked out of curiosity. "Uh," Karin looked thoughtful before snapping her fingers. "Uchiha. Uchiha Sasuke," her smile stretched wider. Hinata's eyebrows shot up her forehead while Xin seemed to choke on her spit. She sputtered and turned on to her side, letting out a loud laugh.

"What? What's so funny? I've heard some of the girls saying that as well," Sakura backed Karin up, looking at the two twins. "Sasuke? Baby-face Sasuke is a heart-throb here? Oh, that's rich. Wait till the cousins back home hear this," Xin squealed, laughing loudly.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" Karin smacked Xin in the face. Before Xin could react by smacking her back, Hinata caught her wrist. "The Uchiha clan are distant cousins to the Hyuga clan. When we were small, we used to play with Sasuke. He looked a lot like his Mother, Mikoto. Everyone called him baby face because of his soft face as a child," Hinata explained, letting go of Xin's wrist.

Karin openly gaped at the twin. "First you two are younger than everyone else and now you're related to one of the school's heartthrobs?! It's not fair!" She whined, falling to her back to beat the ground with her fists. "If he looks anything like his older brother….I wouldn't be surprised that he's a heart-throb, actually," Xin suddenly said, ignoring Karin's tantrum.

"He has an older brother?" Sakura asked. "Mm. He's a lot older than us though. I'd say he's in his twenties now. I haven't seen him since we were ten. He might have been my older cousin but I had the biggest crush on him," Xin admitted, laughing at her memories.

"If you hadn't chosen this life, you might have been married off to him," Sakura pointed out. "Maybe. Or Sasuke or Neji," Xin shrugged with a blank look. "I've heard that name too. He's a genius or something like that," Sakura said with a thoughtful face. "Yeah, Neji is pretty smart. He's probably in the House of Dusk with us though and not Sunrise," Xin commented tonelessly. She had yet to see her cousin even though she knew he had to be in the same house.

"Hey. You guys? Let's do our best."

* * *

"This might be my favorite class."

The first actual day had come upon the rookies quicker than they thought possible. Xin had already gone through the majority of her classes. She had strategic warfare with a scarred man named Ibiki, Seduction with a sultry woman named Kurenari, History of the World with a soft man named Iruka. Now she had sparring with an energetic guy named Gai. Afterwards she had a dancer's class.

This, beside her dancer's class, was her only mixed class. She still did not come across Neji or Sasuke but she had her sister and her two friends in that class, so she wasn't alone. Presently, the four girls stood on the raised platform, watching a sparring match.

Xin leaned forward, her arms resting on the bar as her eyes darted back and forth between the two students. A third-year warrior with two chocolate buns styled on top of her hair battled against a second-year alchemist.

"All they're doing is going back and forth. How can you be so interested?" Karin huffed loudly. Xin sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "Would you shut up?" She snapped at the redhead. "I know that warrior girl can beat that alchemist's ass. She's had several openings that would have ended this fight ages ago. She's playing with him," Xin explained, pointing out things that someone like Karin and Sakura missed.

The warrior rushed forward, knocking her shoulder into the alchemist's chest. Before he could even think of getting up, she pointed the tip of her blade to his throat with a victorious smirk. "Yield?" She asked curiously.

"She's really good," Xin hummed, leaning further over with a smile. She watched in amusement as their excitable instructor began shouting something along the lines of 'the spoils of youth'. He was a strange man with a bowl-cut hairstyle and sported a green jumpsuit. Xin still liked him.

"Alright!" He posed in a strange way. "Up next is…" He looked at the roll sheet, black eyes roving over the names. "Hyuga! Front and center!" He shouted with a blinding smile. Xin and Hinata blinked quizzically at the sound of their last name, both turning to one another in question.

"Which one?"

"The dancer!"

They blinked again before Xin shrugged carelessly. Getting a better grip on the iron bar, she vaulted herself forward without a second thought. Hinata slapped her forehead but was thankful that her sister had worn bedlah pants and not a skirt.

"Ready," Xin sung out with an evil glint to her eyes. "She's so strange," Karin rolled her eyes, leaning against the bar in between Hinata and Sakura. "Are you guys sure she's not a warrior or a brawler?" Sakura asked with a blank face. Hinata only laughed. Xin kicked off her shoes and waited for Gai to assign her sparring partner. The green beast _(that's what he referred to himself as)_ looked over the names a second time before his grin returned once more. "Naruto!"

Karin's cherry red eyes widened before she tightened her grip on the bar and leaned forward. "Did he just say Naruto?" She asked slowly, her eyes searching widely. A shout from diagonally across the room had her looking into that direction before groaning loudly.

She watched as a tall and burly blond teenager jumped over the bar with ease. A wide toothy grin crossed his features as he moved closer to Xin's smaller form. "Is something wrong, Karin?" Hinata asked, noticing Karin's strange reaction.

"It's Naruto," Karin pointed at the blond. "A friend of yours?" Sakura asked, pink eyebrows quirking. "Our Mothers are cousins. I think that makes us second cousins," Karin replied, frowning. "I know he looks like a knucklehead with that stupid grin on his face but he's really dangerous."

"What's his class?"

"A beast tamer."

Hinata and Sakura paled visibly before looking back down at the two. Gai had backed away, giving the two teenagers an opportunity to duke it out. Xin smiled pleasantly at the tall blond. He towered over her with sun-kissed tan skin, unruly golden locks and bright ocean blue eyes. He seemed so friendly; she instantly wanted to be this kid's friend.

"I'm Xin," She introduced sweetly, hand on her chest. "I'm Naruto," He replied with his own name. "Don't worry, Xin," Naruto began to say, his grin still in place. "I promise to go easy on you since you're just a dancer," He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

Xin let out a laugh. "Whatever makes you comfortable," She nodded her head, slipping her flute from out of her pants. Naruto rushed forward before she could even think of anything to do. She dodged, moving easily to the side. Again, he rushed forward to strike her directly in the face.

She grabbed his fist and arm, snapping it to the side away from her face. Moving quickly, she twisted her body, swinging her foot up into his temple. She grinned, seeing his stunned face as she quickly moved backwards to avoid any reflective blows. "Wasn't expecting that from a dancer," He straightened back up, rubbing his aching face. "Hope you're not scared," Xin teased playfully. Naruto snorted and for the third time, charged straightforward.

"Naruto always rushes into battle. He hasn't changed a bit," Karin commented, watching as Xin narrowly dodged a blow from him. "Isn't that how all beast tamers are? They're wild," Sakura pointed out, cringing when Naruto sank feral claws into Xin's hip. Luckily the puncture wasn't too deep. Xin simply kicked him away.

Xin slipped into a straddle split, Naruto sailed overhead. He curled into a ball and rolled when he hit the ground. They threw taunts at one another, punched, kicked and scratched one another. Xin was careful not to attack using her wind. Hinata insisted that they should lay low and the last thing they needed was to be hounded by others because they were only fifteen.

"Alright, that's enough!" Gai suddenly exclaimed, halting the two teenagers' mid-strike. Xin's foot was centimeters away from slamming into Naruto's head while his claws were inches from impaling her face.

"This could have gone on longer," Hinata commented more to herself as Xin slowly lowered her leg. The two stared at one another, blankly. Then, one of them cracked and suddenly they were grinning at one another. "You're a tough dancer," He held his fist up to her in a friendly gesture. "Don't forget that," She smirked back, holding up her smaller fist to knock against his.

She liked this kid.

* * *

"Oi!"

Xin looked up from her bowl of soup she had gotten. Hinata sat next to her, neatly a rice ball. Naruto was suddenly leaning over the two girls, grinning widely. "I didn't realize you and your sister were first-years," He stated, looking in between the two girls.

"Yeah, Hinata and I just started here. Are you a first-year too?" Xin asked, pausing to glance up at him. "Naw, I'm a second-year. You girls should come sit with me. My friends are nowhere to be found," Naruto suggested, tugging playfully on the end of Xin's ponytail. The dancer glanced at the guardian, who shrugged.

"So, what's your class? Hinata, right?" Naruto asked the quiet girl as he led them across the large mass hall. Hinata blushed under his gaze but nodded. "T-That's right," She began, feeling Xin nudge her side. "I'm a guardian," Hinata tried to say with more confidence. A reassuring smile from Xin told her that she did fine.

"A guardian? But you're so small and cute," Naruto commented thoughtlessly, coming to a large rounded table. Hinata's face was beginning to burn as he motioned for the two to sit down. The two did just that. Hinata continued to nibble shyly on her rice ball while Xin slipped her flute from her pants and began twirling it.

"So, can you actually use that thing? Like a dancer? You didn't use it all when we were sparring," Naruto asked, eyes trained solely on his bowl of ramen noodles. "Of course I can use it. I am a dancer," Xin snorted, continuing to twirl it. "Sakura and Karin thinks you should have been a warrior or brawler," Hinata let out a small laugh.

"I like being a dancer," Xin pouted childishly. "You two are friends with my cousin?" Naruto asked, blinking. "Yeah, the crazy redhead? I guess you could say we're friends," Xin replied blankly. Speaking of the two, what was keeping the healer and the crazy redhead so long?

"Rin' isn't so bad. She's just a little cranky at first. She'll warm up to you," Naruto offered cheerfully. "She's a bitter old hag with freakish thighs that looks like sausages," Xin continued blankly. "Be nice to Karin," Hinata sighed from next to her sister.

"Yo! Gaara! Over here," Naruto was suddenly waving his long arms frantically. Xin and Hinata glanced into the direction Naruto was waving in like a crazy animal. Xin blinked, eyebrows raised. "_Well, hello there." _

_Xin's P.O.V_

Naruto continued waving his arms around, despite the fact that his friend had already spotted him. Glancing between the two, I guessed that his friend was about Naruto's height _(so freakishly tall)._ He skin was pale, although not as nearly as pale as mine, and his hair was a mess of brick-red spikes. And his eyes. _Wow._ They were the prettiest color I've ever seen. They were so blue they almost looked green. I didn't even care that he had thick black rings around his eyes. He was fuckin' cute.

Cute couldn't even do this kid justice. This kid was fuckin' sexy, gorgeous, and sinful. I could probably go on and on but he's standing at the table and _oh God_, I've been staring at him. Shit.

"The hell's wrong with her? She's weird," He pointed at me, a disturbed expression on his face. "Excuse me?" I found myself huffing. No, No. Xin, shut up. Don't go bitch on him. He's so cute. We could work this out. Stop. Your temper. Stop, Xin. _STOP._

"There's nothing wrong with _her._ _She_ has a name, thank you very much," I heard myself hissing. "Too bad I don't care enough to know this name you speak of," He rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? Would you care to feel how my fuckin' foot feels down your throat?" I suddenly stood up, planted my hands on the table and leaned forward. Naruto was looking back and forth between us with interested eyes while Hinata nibbled nervously on her rice.

"Take your best shot, Princess," He replied coolly, leaning towards me with a smirk. "I'll fuckin' kill you if I take my best shot," I threatened hotly. "Xin…." Hinata trailed off, her hand grasping the waistband of my pants.

"What are you going to do? Play your magic flute and sing me to death?" He sneered at me. Right then and there is where I decided that nothing would stop me from breaking my foot off in that pompous jerk's derrière. Not even if he was freakishly cute.

"Oh, I can show you what I'm going to do with it," I snapped, having every intention of shoving my flute up his ass. "Are we interrupting something?" Sakura suddenly appeared, pink eyebrows raised in question. Karin was next to her, frowning in confusion.

"I was about to make this fucker my bitch."

"Xin..."

"This is hilarious."

"Naruto…it really isn't."

"Something tells me you're going to be a fuckin' troublemaker."

"Shut up, Karin."

* * *

Or maybe she liked her dancer's class better.

She was surrounded by dancers, gypsies and bards. The teacher was a twenty something year old woman from Oto. She had long thick hair that was tied up with a ribbon and blackberry eyes that twinkled as if she knew a secret. She wore a harem-styled outfit. Their first day was a celebration. Of what? Who the hell knew or cared? They were a bunch of dancers, gypsies and bards. Perhaps they were celebrating the first day of class. Who knew?

The students pushed all of the desks to the sides, some of the bards sat on top of the desks to strum their guitars or play their flutes and harps. Other bards, notably females, sung loudly, their voices blending in beautifully with the flowing music. The remaining gypsies and dancers had kicked off their shoes and danced in the opened space, cheering and shouting.

"_To dance!  
__No way to make a living, Masochism  
__Pain, perfection  
__Muscle spasm, Chiropractors  
__Short-Careers, Eating disorders!  
_

_To Music!  
__Food of Love, Emotion, Mathematics  
__Isolation  
__Rhythm, power, feeling, harmony  
__And heavy competition!_

Xin expertly weaved through her fellow troublemakers. She jumped, bounced, kicked and flailed along with everyone else in perfect sync. For once, she felt completely as ease. She was surrounded by people who openly accepted her because they were just like her.

She clapped her hands over head along with everyone, knowing exactly when to stomp her feet. She couldn't remember having so much fun with people like her. For once, she wasn't be gawked at for her outlandish behavior. No one was scolding her on her reckless behavior.

She could scream at the top of her lungs in glee and they would all join in. She felt alive, she felt welcomed. She felt free. Xin slipped her flute out of her pants, dancing along and playing the instrument along with the others.

This had to be her favorite class.

* * *

"You dancers are loud."

I glanced up from cleaning my flute. Classes for the first day had ended moments ago. I really had nothing to do but to wait for Hinata. I leaned against the wall of the mass hall, trying to waste time.

Naruto grinned at me, his arms folded behind his head leisurely. "What do you mean?" I asked, offering a quick smile before looking down at my flute. "My last class was held outside. The window of your class was open. It sounded like you were all having a party," He pointed out.

"We were celebrating."

"Celebrating? Celebrating what?"

"Nothing."

Naruto frowned, his confusion evident in his eyes. "It's hard to explain," I sighed heavily, trying to think of the easiest way to explain this. "We don't need a reason to celebrate. We're thankful for what we have. We celebrate our freedom," I tried my best to explain to him.

He blinked and then nodded slowly. I simply smiled, knowing he probably didn't really understand. I wasn't surprised a lot of people didn't understand us. "Don't worry about it," I waved it off, still smiling. "You never told me your class."

"I'm a beast tamer."

I blinked in question. Beast tamers were relatively new in the world. Before beast tamers came along, a lot of wild beasts roamed free. And while those beasts were dangerous, they didn't necessarily bother anyone. And that's when idiotic humans decided to hunt beasts down, using their severed heads as trophies. And the beasts decided to retaliate and began slaughtering humans in return.

Then the beast tamers came along.

I think I was maybe nine when I first heard of a beast tamer. This woman came to Konoha with this pretty feline. The woman was a teenager back then, and had long blond hair tied back and dark eyes. Her feline possessed a right yellow eye and a left green eye. The thing that amazed me about her kitty is that the damn thing was covered and blue and black flames.

"A beast tamer? I would've pegged you for a brawler," I replied to his statement, raising my eyebrows. "I would've expected the same from you," He shot back, pointing to my flute. "A brawler in the Hyuga family?" I snorted before pausing. "Wait, I don't know what's worse….being a brawler or a dancer," I admitted honestly.

"I think you'd make a better brawler," Naruto told me. I gave him a strange grin. "A dancer is like the wind," I began to say, staring at nothing. The wind began to shift around us but I'm sure no one noticed it was because I was moving my fingers in circles.

"We are free. We don't care. We are selfless beings," I suddenly stood up. "We live for the sake of freedom and happiness," I noticed another dancer a bit away. I called out to her. She turned to stare at me, smiling widely.

Before anyone could stop me, I ran to the center of the courtyard. The other dance met me there. We jumped, clapped our hands together and began to dance in frenzy. I heard her squeal someone's name moments later and then there was a bard joining in with us.

Soon, other gypsies, bards and dancers joined in. It was almost like the class, it was just less of us and we were outside. Other students had gathered to watch us. I could see Karin and Sakura's bright red and pink hair every now and then.

I looked over at Naruto, he was grinning at me. Hinata was next to him, blushing and mumbling something to herself. On Naruto's other side, Gaara stood. For a minute, I wanted to chuck my flute at him. But a giggle from somewhere caused me to forget about that sexy jerk.

I twisted and clapped my hands above my head. A giggled formed in my throat and bubbled from my lips. This is what I meant when I said we are free and we don't care. Some of the other students looked amused while others looked as if the lot of us were crazy.

We were.

And we didn't give a fuck.

* * *

"When I told you to play your flute while you waited for me, I didn't mean that you should start a flash mob out of nowhere," Hinata sighed heavily as I smiled widely, hands folded behind my back. I knew Hinata was fed up with my carefree behavior. But I didn't too much of it.

"I was trying to prove a point."

"That point being?"

"That she's fuckin' psychotic."

I whipped around, glaring at Gaara instantly. Being crazy was different from being psychotic but I could certainly get psychotic if he didn't just fuckin' die already. "Oh," I let out a laugh. "I'm sorry. I must have given you the impression that I was fuckin' speaking to you. Politely get the fuck out of my conversation."

"Your new friend is a ball of sunshine, Naruto."

I shot him one last glare before turning back to Hinata, Karin and Sakura. "Do you guys have like, telepathy, or something? You just looked at one another and then broke out like that shit was rehearsed," Karin said before I could open my mouth.

"I'm not a telepath, you stupid troll."

"You are _such _a freakin' hobbit."

"At least save the bickering for we're alone, girls. We're in public."

I paused, taking Sakura's words into consideration. I suppose she was right. So, I forced myself to stop glaring at Karin long enough to answer her question without any sarcasm. "It's not telepathy. It's a simple understanding between bards. Don't you just look at someone else as the same class and just know…wait...Karin, _what_ the fuck is _your_ class?"

Karin seemed baffled by my sudden question. "I'm a scout," She replied simply. I glanced at Naruto, who grinned weakly and then at Gaara, who blinked. Sakura seemed indifferent while Hinata simply frowned. "I think I speak for everyone when I ask what the hell a scout is." I asked after a long moment. Naruto and Karin were cousins and even he seemed unaware of Karin's class. A scout.

"Another rare variation of the rogue."

"Ugh, so you're a thief. No wonder I hate your face."

"I am not thief, you simpleton. I don't steal. I've been placed in the House of Sunrise for a reason. Scouts combine high-movement rate with superior sensory and information gathering skills, and often emphasizes stealth as well," Karin explained to us. "So, you're like…a _snitch_?"

"Oh my God, I'm literally going to kill you."

I only grinned back at her.

I wheeled around, looking up at Gaara. "And you? What're you?" I asked in curiosity. He gave me a look that was lower than the dirt below my sandals. "Why should I tell you?" He drawled out lazily. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hinata quietly sigh.

I grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. "Because, you little fucker…" I stopped myself, staring into his pretty eyes. For fuck's sake, why did he have to be such an asshole with such pretty eyes? Slowly, I uncurled my fingers from his shirt. Spreading my fingers out, I palmed his chest and began to smooth the wrinkles out of his shirt. Oh, God. The muscles this kid had on him was enough to make a girl orgasm.

Not that I ever…you know…experienced an orgasm. I just turned fifteen and everything. But I've been told that something like was pretty fuckin' delectable. One of the village whores _(in her defense, she was a very nice lady with a bad job, that's all)_ had told me.

"Because." I answered simply. He stared at me like I was crazy. Crazy for the dic…err…nevermind. "Brawler," He answered, glancing at my hand. I quickly retracted it, forcing it to grip my flute out of my pants. I needed something to hold on to before I did something I'd regret. Like punch him or something.

"No wonder you're so rude."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, Daddy always said brawlers were barbaric."

"You got daddy issues?"

"Of course not, why would you think that?"

"Who the hell still calls their Father that?"

"A normal teenage girl?"

"Yeah, a fourteen year old teenage girl."

"Well, I'm only…."

"Xin." Hinata suddenly clapped her hands. I stopped myself again. That's right…no one was supposed to really know we're only fifteen. It was already enough that Sakura and Karin knew. Hinata was still pretty peeved I blabbed in first place. Who knows what she'd do to me if I opened my mouth again.

Gaara and Naruto gave me another look. "I can call my Daddy whatever the fuck I want," I huffed, folding my arms across my chest. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Gaara asked blandly, seemingly forgetting about what I was about to say.

"No, but you can kiss my ass with that mouth of yours."

"Seriously, Xin, you're sure you're not a brawler?"

"Shut up, Naruto."

* * *

The next day I got a better feel of my classes but I didn't really pay much attention. I'm sure I'll pay attention as the days wear on. I had yet to find out where the hell Neji and Sasuke were. It was killing me to find them.

So, I approached our dorm-head at lunch. I told Naruto and the girls I'd be late and that they should go to the mass hall without me. Hinata had a shot me a look, letting me know that she'd bash my fuckin' skull in with her shiny staff if I got into trouble.

Me? Trouble. Oh, sister. You wound me, you do.

Honestly, I was surprised Neji wasn't dorm-head. I remember him being such a control-freak. It used to get on my nerves. All I ever thought about when he acted like that was drowning him in the koi pond in the Hyuga garden.

"Oi! Kotabuki-San!" I waved, gaining his attention. He turned to me, smiling at me from the front porch of our dorm house. Sometimes I felt like Kotabuki had a thing for my sister and I. Sometimes I saw him glancing our way a lot when we came back into the dorm. "Good afternoon, Hyuga-San," He greeted, giving me a cool smirk. I raised my eyebrow. Who in the hell was he fooling. Trying not to laugh in his face, I shot him a tight smile. "I have a question, Kotabuki-San."

"You know, we're housemates. We don't have to be on a last-name basis."

He was making it so difficult not to burst out into laughter.

"Last names are fine, _Kotabuki-San_. Can I ask my question now?"

"I don't know, Hyuga-San, _can _you?"

Oooh, I was seconds away from snatching his fuckin' eyeballs out.

"Anyway," I said tightly. "I was wondering, do you know the whereabouts of Neji and Sasuke? They live in our dorm, right?" I asked, hands folded across my chest. Kotabuki frowned, his mood changing quickly. "And why, _may _I ask, are you concerned about that?"

I could totally see why you don't get any dates.

"Because they're my older cousins and I haven't seen them at all," I explained quickly. Again, he frowned. "That's right, Neji is apart of the Hyuga clan," He tapped his chin in thought. I sighed impatiently. "Yes, Neji is my older cousin. Sasuke is also my older cousin. Now could you please tell me why my fuckin' cousins are no where to be found?" I snapped impatiently. Kotabuki seemed taken aback that I had snapped at him. I didn't give a fuck. I wanted answers.

"Mistress had them go on a mission two days before opening day. They should be back tomorrow evening," He quickly got out. I clapped my hands together, smiling widely. "That explains it! Thank you, Kotabuki-San. You've been a big help!"

Before he could say something, I heard my name. Glancing over my shoulder, I was surprised to see Gaara at the bottom of the stairs. Leaning against the railing of the porch, I frowned down at him. "What are you doing here?"

Gaara stared past me for several seconds before looking at me. "Uzumaki sent me to come get you. He won't shut up and it's annoying. Come on before you miss the meal," I waved me over. "Right," I nodded. Turning around, I found Kotabuki with a strange look on his face. "Thanks again, Kotabuki-San. See ya," I saluted him with two fingers before turning around and flying down the stairs, nearly colliding into Gaara.

"So, a brawler?"

"What's it to you?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, do you know how to carry a normal conversation?"

"Who the hell says you're normal?"

"I'm quite fuckin' normal, you little fuck."

We paused in walking to glare at one another. I placed my hand on my hip while he shoved his hands into his baggy pockets. "Why do you give me such a hard time? I'm a nice fuckin' person, dammit." I hissed at him. "Clearly someone lied to you," He snapped back. "You're a fuckin' prick," I huffed, standing on the tips of my toes. "Why the hell are you so fuckin' rude and crazy?"

"Because, fuck you, that's why."

"Not even if you begged."

"Oh, you're hilarious. Don't flatter yourself."

We continued to glare at one another. Gaara rolled his eyes before slipping his hand out of his pocket and clasping it over my shoulder. "You're going to make us miss the goddamn food. I'm hungry," He told me, steering me into the direction of the mass hall.

"You don't have to manhandle me!"

"Shut up, Princess."

Ugh.

* * *

"Finally!" Naruto cheered as Gaara plopped down next to him lazily. I glared at him and sat in between Hinata and Sakura. "I was asking our dorm-head where the hell our cousins are," I told them, pointing at Hinata. "Did you find out?"

"Yeah, Mistress sent them on some mission. They should be back tomorrow," I said, sipping my water. "You're really related to Neji and Sasuke, huh?" Naruto raised his blond eyebrows at us. "Unfortunately," I shrugged humorlessly.

"I would never guessed you two would be related to a prick and a bastard," Naruto continued, grinning widely. "You think so too?" I grinned back. "Yeah, Hinata is all nice and sweet and you're all out of control and shit. Complete opposites," Naruto told us, making a face. I noticed Hinata's face turn tomato red from Naruto's compliment.

I smiled around the table. I could get use to this. Okay, Karin and Gaara got on my fuckin' nerves. I found it funny how they were both redheads that pissed me off. Coincidence? I think not. But putting that aside, I liked Karin enough and I suppose I could put up with Gaara since he was pretty damn sexy.

I'm still going to break my foot off in his ass, though.

But I liked it here, I guess.

* * *

_TeeBeMe: I like when Xinny and Gaara bicker and don't like each other. It's funny. And Karin and Xin together are so funny. I honestly think that if Xin was actually canon, she'd bicker with Karin every chance she got because she's a little twerp. _

**Xin: Yeah, sure. **

_TeeBeMe: So yeah, when the dancers were all singing and stuff, the part they were singing is from La Vie Boheme B from the musical RENT._

**Xin: We hope you guys enjoyed. **


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